Hey, Father! I’m confused on what papal infallibility means.

Since the charism of papal infallibility is one of the more controversial and often misunderstood teachings of the Church, it might be helpful to say first what is not.

Infallibility does not mean the pope is omniscient or that he will never make practical mistakes in judgment. Nor does it denote that every word the Holy Father speaks is historically, scientifically, or factually true. It does not prevent reasonable criticism of what the pope says and does, and it certainly does not suggest he is sinless.

But it does mean he has a special gift of the Holy Spirit that prevents him from leading the Church into error in matters of faith and morals.

Notice, please, the narrow domain in which infallibility is at play: Only in matters of faith and morals can the Holy Father speak without error and only when he invokes the authority of his office.

Paragraph 2035 of the Catechism explains further, stating that infallibility “extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed.”

There it is: Infallibility ultimately concerns saving truths. Infallibility is about salvation. God intends to save His people by forgiving their sins and restoring their friendship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

He must, then, provide a means by which the truth of and relationship with Christ be communicated across time and culture without corruption, for distortion of who Christ is, what He taught, and what He’s done for us would jeopardize the salvation of future generations.

Christ names this safeguard in Matthew’s Gospel. There, in response to Simon’s profession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God, Jesus says to him:

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:18-19)

Jesus renames Simon, calling him Peter, meaning “Rock.” Biblically, a new name signifies a new, singular vocation. Peter will now be the immovable foundation of Christ’s Church, employing the keys of the Kingdom, symbolizing the authority of the household of God, to teach the truth authoritatively and to forgive sins, the two things necessary to preserve the integrity of salvation and to spread the faith.

Confronted with confusing and even opposing viewpoints of who Jesus is, Christ gifts papal infallibility to His Church in the person of Peter’s successor to keep it from disintegrating into irreconcilable squabbles and to ensure He can be known and loved by all people everywhere; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Father Seth Brown is pastor of Mother of Dolors Parish in Vandalia and St. Joseph Parish in Ramsey. He is also chaplain of Our Sorrowful Mother’s Ministry, chaplain of the Vandalia Correctional Center, and research theologian for the Diocesan Curia.

Last column, I mentioned three saints newly added to our liturgical calendar as optional memorials. These three all happen to be “doctors of the Church.”

This designation may be confusing to us. We commonly use the term “doctor” to refer to a physician. We have to keep in mind that the original meaning of “doctor” is “teacher.” Merriam-Webster’s first definition of “doctor” is “a religious scholar who is eminent in theological learning and personal holiness and usually an expounder and defender of established doctrine.”

From ancient times, Ss. Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great were esteemed as the Great Latin Fathers, while Ss. Athanasius, Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil the Great, and John Chrysostom were hailed as the Great Greek Fathers. The Catholic Church lists 36 doctors of the Church. The method for declaring someone a doctor has varied over the centuries. The customary criteria for qualifying as a doctor are: eminent learning, a high degree of sanctity, and proclamation by the Church. Currently, the procedure for proclaiming a doctor is by a decree issued by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

It is impossible, within the confines of this column, to discuss all 36 doctors. It is possible at least to sample some of their very powerful writings.

The works of St. Augustine (354-430) are widely available. His autobiography, the Confessions, chronicles his conversion and his amazement: “Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you. … You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you. I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.”

St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), for whom the Decatur high school is named, can be very blunt about our lack of response to God’s gifts: “My Lord, you know that we are less submissive to the will of your Father. … You see, the gift our Lord intends for us may be by far the best, but if it is not what we wanted we are quite capable of flinging it back in his face. That is the kind of people we are; ready cash is the only wealth we understand.”

St. Bonaventure (1221-1274) writes about surrender to God: “Seek the answer in God’s grace, not in doctrine; in the longing of the will, not in the understanding; in the sighs of prayer, not in research; seek the bridegroom not the teacher; God and not man; darkness not daylight; and look not to the light but rather to the raging fire that carries the soul to God with intense fervor and glowing love. The fire is God, and the furnace is in Jerusalem, fired by Christ in the ardor of his loving passion.”

Doctors of the Church could be understood to be “physicians of the soul.” In their writings, they probe deeply into the mysteries of each person’s bond with the God who has created each of us, knows us intimately, and has even died for us. As we ponder the ultimate mystery of our passing from this life, we know that the Word Made Flesh has already been there and has personally won fullness of life for us.

Just wondering if Catholics will be able to partake in the Blood of Christ since the pandemic is nearly over?
— Gail in Highland

This column first appeared in the issue of July 3, 2011. So, the column is 10 years old. Over the years, I have heard from many people who have let me know how much they enjoy it. So, I will do my best to keep going.

I believe that, in the past, I have touched on my study of the liturgical calendar; it is, for me, a hobby of sorts.

Who is the disciple whom Jesus loved?
— Debbie in Springfield

What are the priest’s correct and necessary words for valid absolution in the sacrament of confession?
— Nancy in Effingham

Many of us, over the years (indeed, over the past 52 years!) have noticed something in our Missals and other liturgical resources which has puzzled us. When we come to the solemnity of Pentecost, we find a “vigil” with the possibility of four Old Testament readings, but only one psalm.

Just a few years back, complete information was issued about an “extended” Vigil of Pentecost. You can see all the Scripture citations by going to kevinlaughery.com/lc2022.html and scrolling down to June 5.

In a recent statement from the National Catholic Bioethics Center on COVID-19 vaccines, we noted that the Catholic Church “neither requires nor forbids” the use of vaccines, but instead urges people to “form their consciences and to carefully discern the moral and prudential issues involved.”

A 2020 Vatican statement offers a similar conclusion: “vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation,” and “therefore, it must be voluntary.”

Hey, Father! What is the point of praying? My brother was in the hospital for almost four months with COVID. We had prayers said, Masses, lit candles, a group said the rosary every night and he was on the prayer list at all the area churches. He died anyway. Did God say, “I want him to die, or I don’t care if he dies?” I think God is very selective of whose prayers he answers. It is like playing the lottery. Maybe he will. Maybe he won’t. What is the point of doing everything the church says for us to do when God turns a deaf ear?”

— Ann in Chrisman, IL

What is the purpose of a confirmation name?

A priest recently mentioned to me that he was not planning to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He told me he was concerned that RNA vaccines could alter our DNA and he heard there were also risks to fertility.

I replied that those particular concerns were unsubstantiated, and not scientifically correct, and encouraged him to be vigilant about various forms of misinformation, including “Catholic” misinformation that can spread rapidly on social media.

Do souls or spirits have a shape or form? How will we notice and recognize our loved ones who have gone before us?
— Roger in Edwardsville

In the previous issue, there were a number of suggestions about observing the Easter season, which always runs seven weeks, and this year concludes on Sunday, May 23. I’d like to add another suggestion.

If you have never read the Acts of the Apostles all the way through, the Easter season is the perfect time to do so. We always read excerpts from Acts on the Sundays of Easter. In addition, every year at weekday Mass we read a semi-continuous narrative from Acts.

Thank you for asking this important question, and indeed it is an important question to answer since it relates to our relationship with Jesus Christ and his relationship to us.

On March 1, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told residents in the town of Mattapan that when it comes to the various COVID-19 vaccines, “These are all very effective. People don’t need to pick one from another. People should get vaccinated. If you have a chance to get a vaccine, you should take it, whatever it is.”

The governor’s sweeping statement seems to imply, first, that everybody should get a COVID-19 shot, and second, that it’s not necessary to distinguish among the different vaccines currently on the market, like Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and eventually others.

 “Oh my God!” What’s wrong with saying that?

For many years I aspired to direct, and to play the role of the “Stage Manager” in Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play Our Town. I had my chance in 1998, when I was pastor of St. Patrick in Girard and St. Mary in Farmersville. I was able to assemble a cast which included students of St. Isidore’s School in Farmersville, adult parishioners, and also my father, who was once on the stage as a student at Decatur High School.

Does the Catholic Church believe that innocent babies that have not been baptized yet will go to limbo and not to Heaven upon their deaths?
— Anonymous in the diocese

During “serious illness conversations,” some doctors will ply their patients with this question: “What is your minimally acceptable quality of life?”

Behind the question can be the implication that if patients are experiencing a low quality of life, their medical treatments can be discontinued because their life has become “no longer worth living.”

I have two adult children, both of whom were raised Catholic. They are good, loving and kind yet neither believe in Jesus these days. If I am lucky enough to be admitted to Heaven how could I possibly be joyful in eternal life if my children aren’t there?
— Nancy, from Springfield

As I have noted in at least one previous column, the calendar itself gives us opportunities to reflect on the strivings of humanity. We find simultaneously that “the march of time” leaves us missing some of those opportunities.

The first International Day of Human Fraternity occurred this month, on the fourth day of February. Declared by the United Nations, this Day has been inspired by such efforts as those of Pope Francis and Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Cairo, when they issued their document on human fraternity on Feb. 4, 2019, during Francis’ visit to the United Arab Emirates.

What is the anointing of the sick? Is it only used when someone is about to die?
— Anonymous in Coles County

As the new COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, several people have told me, “I don’t want a vaccine with any connection to abortion.”

This is a valid sentiment that most of us would likely echo. At a minimum, it should serve as an important “call to action” for each of us during the course of this pandemic. Even if we decide to get inoculated with a vaccine that was produced using abortion-derived human cell lines — which for a serious reason and in the absence of alternatives would not be unethical — we still face a real duty to push back and make known our disagreement with the continued use of these cells by researchers in the pharmaceutical industry and academia.

Pope Francis presided at the Christmas Mass during the Night in St. Peter’s Basilica the evening of Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. In recent years, this Mass has been celebrated at 9:30 p.m. Because of pandemic restrictions, the Mass was rescheduled to 7:30 p.m. Rome is seven hours ahead of us, so I was able to watch the Mass as it began at 12:30 p.m., well before my 4 p.m. vigil Mass.

I turned to the Vatican’s English translation of the pope’s homily, and discovered that, toward the end, he quoted an American poet.

Do I, how do I, approach and give alms to all those men and women on street corners with “homeless” signs? I am so conflicted.
— Bill from Springfield

While I understand that God does not need our prayers, my confessor assured me that I still need to say them. While I believe this, will you explain in greater detail why this is true?

— Paula in Springfield

Can a godparent be replaced? My sibling is godparent to two of my children and has done something terrible to me and my family and we no longer have a relationship and wondered if it is possible to make a change?
— Anonymous in our diocese

In the wake of announcements from multiple pharmaceutical companies about safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, many are expressing ethical doubts about whether it is OK to take these vaccines. Do Catholics have a moral duty to decline an inoculation if it was unethically produced using a cell line that came from an abortion?

The short answer is “no.” This has been discussed and explained in several magisterial church documents in recent years.

“Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die.” I remember hearing the chorus of a song with these words and they often come to mind when I consider the topic of death. Nobody will disagree that we will only be admitted to Heaven after we die, and while the prospect of being in Heaven is appealing, the getting there is not. Why are we so afraid of dying? To be sure, there are many reasons, and in this article, I would like to briefly address a few of them. Before I do so, let me first share some encouraging words from Our Lord himself.